Package conveyor



July 25, 1967 D. c. CHANEY 3,332,531

PACKAGE CONVEYOR Filed March 15, 1965 I-NVENTOR .Z7onald 6. 67260161,

' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,332,531 PACKAGE CONVEYOR Donald C. Chaney, 5446 Thornburn Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90045 Filed Mar. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 439,761 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to a package conveyor of the type employed in food markets in conveying packaged products to a labeling mechanism which automatically applies price tags to the packages delivered thereto, and from which the packages are discharged and then manually transferred to and arranged on a display counter with the price tags thereon presented in a readable position to prospective customers.

The packages thus labeled and put on display are usually rectangular and oblong and are fed to the labeling machine with a long side thereof foremost and the price tag is applied with the datathereon upright and reading lengthwise of the elongate package. ThlS necessitates arranging the packages lengthwise longitudinally of the display counter in order to enable convenient reading of the price tags. The display counter being of a fixed length will accommodate a limited number of the packages placed end-to-end in a row.

There are occasions when the packaged merchandise could be dispensed more rapidly if the number of packages on display be increased which would also afford the customers a wider selection of productsfrom which to choose. This can be accomplished by arranging the elongate packages side-by-side in the rows on display instead of end-to-end, but such would not be practical with the price tags reading lengthwise of the packages, and while it may be possible to change the label applicator to apply the labels to the packages to read cross-wise thereof and thereby condition the packages for arrangement side-byside on display, such would involve devising complicated mechanism.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an attachment to the package conveyor whereby, when it is desired to arrange a batch of elongate packages on display side-by-side, the packages may be automatically turned a quarter revolution while being conveyed .to the labeling machine so that the tag will be positioned upright in its readable position transversely of the elongate package instead of longitudinally thereof.

Another object is to provide an attachment of the above character embodying an abutment adapted to be interposed in the path of a package being advanced on a conveyor and disposed so that an end portion of the advancing package will be engaged and momentarily held by the abutment so that the other endportion of the package will be advanced by' the conveyor to thereby turn the package around the abutment untll the restrained end portion of the package is released, whereby the package will have been turned on the conveyor one-fourth of a revolution.

Another object is to provide an attachment for the purpose above stated which may be readily applied, and which may be easily and quickly disposed in and out of operation without interfering with the operations of the conveyor, and which can be adjusted to adapt 1t .to packages of various dimensions.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a package conveyor showing the attachment as applied;

FIG. 2 is a diagram in plan illustrating the mode of operation of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation partly in section of the attachment as seen in the direction of the arrow 3 in FIG. 2;

3,332,531 Patented July 25, 1967 FIG. 4 is a view in section and plan as seen on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a detail in side elevation of a fragmentary portion of the attachment showing a modification of the mounting of the abutment member; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIGS.

Referring to the drawings more specifically A indicates generally a conventional package conveyor to which the invention is applicable, B designates a table an end of which is disposed proximate the leading end of the conveyor, C denotes a portable tray positioned adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor, and D indicates a label applicator moveable in and out of a position over the discharge end portion of the conveyor. The conveyor is designed to advance packages E delivered thereto from the table B to discharge onto the tray C. A vertically moveable barrier F is provided at the discharge end of the conveyor which is momentarily disposed in the path of a package being advanced by the conveyor to arrest the package while the label applicator is actuated to affix a price tag to the package, after which the barrier F is withdrawn from in front of the package which is then delivered to the tray C for subsequent manual transportation to and arrangement on a display counter.

The conveyor A is here shown as comprising an endless belt 8, but obviously may consist of a multiple of parallel power rotated rollers as commonly employed in package conveyors.

The appliance G embodying the invention includes an abutment member 9 for positioning in the path of a package E being advanced by the conveyor which member 9 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 as comprising a dependent elongate rigid stem having its upper end carried on the outer end of a horizontally extending arm 10 and having its lower end terminating proximate the upper surface of the conveyor in spaced relation thereto.

The arm 10 is carried on a standard 11 mounted on a fixed member 12 such as aside rail of the conveyor A; the standard being here shown as having opposed transverse flanges 13 on its lower end which seat on and are affixed to a bracket 14 fixed on the member 12.

The arm 10 is of variable length so that the abutment member 9 may be adjusted to overlie the conveyor at various positions, for which purpose the arm 10 embodies a-tubular section a the inner end of which is attached to the standard 11 and into the outer end of which is telescoped an end section b which is longtitudinally adjustable in the section a and held in fixed relation thereto in various positions by a set screw c. The outer end of the end section b is provided with a head d with which the upper end of the stern of the member 9 is fixedly engaged to project downwardly from the arm 10 perpendicular thereto.

The inner end of the arm 10 is pivotally mounted on the standard 11 to swing horizontally in and out of overlying relation to the conveyor A and is also mounted for vertical adjustment on the standard whereby the abut ment member 9 may be raised or lowered, to regulate the spacing of the lower end thereof relative to the conveyor. For this purpose the standard 11 embodies an internally threaded upper end portion e in which is screwed an end section 1 having a head h with which the inner end of the arm 10 is fixedly engaged. The screw connection between the end section 1 and the end portion e of the standard 11 permits rotation of the arm bearing end section relative to the standard in swinging the arm \10 laterally.

Means are provided for releasably fastening the end section against turning relative to portion e of the standard so as to hold the arm 10 against swinging in either direction in any desired position within its range of movement. Such means embodies a winged lock nut 15 screwed on the threaded end section f for movement in and out of 3 wedge engagement with the terminus of the end portion e of the standard.

In the application and operation of the invention as above described, the standard 11 of the appliance G is mounted at a convenient place adjacent a side margin of the conveyor where the arm 10 can be positioned to dispose the abutment member 9 to one side of the conveyor when the appliance is not in use, yet permit the abutment member 9 being positioned over the conveyor by swinging the arm 10 to dispose the lower end of the member 9 in the path of a package E being advanced by the conveyor. Swinging movement of the arm 10 in or out of the operative position of the abutment member 9 over the conveyor is manually effected on loosening the wing nut 15 out of wedge engagement with the terminus i of the standard 11.

When it is desired to place the attachment in operation, the arm 10 is swung to dispose the abutment member 9 thereon with its lower end in the path of travel of a package E on the conveyor delivered thereto from the table B and extending lengthwise cross-wise of the conveyor. On the arm being swung to dispose the abutment member 9 in its desired position, the wing nut 15 is tightened to cause the terminus .i to hold the arm against movement.

The lower end of the abutment member is thus positioned to be abutted by the forward elongate margin of the package adjacent an end thereof as indicated by the full lines in FIG. 2. The terminus of the abutment member 9 may be disposed and fixed in any desired position within its arc of travel over the conveyor to accommodate it to packages of various lengths, as indicated by the dotted lines k in FIG. 2. If need be, the length of the arm 10 may be varied by advancing or retracting the extension section 11 relative to the sleeve a of the arm to thereby adjust the position of the abutment member 9 relative to the conveyor and packages being advanced thereon.

When the advancing package thus contacts the abutment member 9, forward movement of the abutted end portion of the package is momentarily arrested while the other end portion of the package advances under the urge of the conveyor, as indicated by the dotted lines E in FIG. 2. On the package being thus turned a quarter revolution as indicated by the dotted lines E in FIG. 2, the package will be disposed to extend longitudinally lengthwise of the conveyor and will be advanced by the conveyor in this position until the forward end of the package abuts the barrier P where the package is momentarily arrested at which time the label applicator is actuated to afiix a price tag m on the package with the tag readable cross-wise of the package. The barrier is then retracted whereupon the package is discharged by the conveyor onto the tray for subsequent removal and display on a counter where the packages will be arranged side-byside.

When the desired number of the packages are thus labeled, the abutment member 9 is positioned clear of the packages fed to the conveyor by swinging the arm 10 laterally as indicated in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2; the wing nut 15 being loosened to permit such movement of the arm and then being tightened to hold the arm in its retracted position.

In the modified construction shown in FIGS. -6, the upper end of the abutment member 9 is connected to the outer end of the arm by a pivot 16 whereby the abutment member may be swung vertically in and out of its operative dependent position; the member 9 being pivoted to swing in the direction of the length of the arm 10 so that it may be disposed in overlying relation to the arm 10 when not in use.

The pivotal connection between the member 9 and the arm 10 comprises a yoke 17 on the end extension b of the arm 10 between the side members of which the upper end of the member 9 extends, and the pivotal connection comprises a bolt extending through the yoke 17 and the member 9, which bolt has a wing nut 18 screwed thereon whereby on tightening the nut the sides of the yoke may be tightly clamped against the member 9 to hold it in fixed relation to the arm 10.

By the construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the stem 9 comprising the abutment member may be swung to an upwardly extending position on the arm 10 when not in use as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 5 without retracting the arm \10, and the stem 9 may be disposed in its dependent position as indicated in full lines in FIG. 6; the wing nut 18 being tightened on the pivot 16 to clamp the stem between the side members of the yoke to hold the stem against movement in either of its positions.

I claim:

1. In a package labeling machine, the combination with a label applicator of horizontal conveyor for delivering packages to a position to receive labels from said applicator, a standard erected at one side of said conveyor, a horizontally extending arm pivoted to swing laterally on said standard, a dependent stem on the outer end of said arm having a lower end; said arm being moveable laterally to extend over said conveyor to position said stem with its lower end proximate the upper surface of said conveyor in spaced relation thereto and in the path of travel of packages being advanced by said conveyor to effect turning of the packages a quarter revolution and being moveable laterally to extend to one side of said conveyor to thereby position said stem clear of the path of travel of packages on the conveyor.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 including means for holding said arm against pivotal movement in various positions.

3. In a package labeling machine the combination with a label applicator, of a horizontal conveyor for delivering packages to a position to receive labels from said applicator, a standard erected at one side of said conveyor, said standard having a tubular internally threaded upper end portion, an end section screwed into said threaded portion, a horizontally extending arm aflixed to the outer end of said end section for lateral swinging movement relative to said standard, a dependent stem on the outer end of said arm having a lower end portion; said arm being moveable laterally with said end section to extend over said conveyor to position said stem with its lower end proximate the upper surface of said conveyor in spaced relation thereto and in the path of travel of packages being advanced by said conveyor to efiect turning of the packages a quarter revolution, and being moveable laterally to extend to one side of said conveyor to thereby position said stem clear of the path of travel of packages on the conveyor.

4. The combination called for in claim 3 together with means on said end section engageable with the internally threaded upper end portion to hold said end section against turning.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,177 10/1936 Ohrn 198-34 X 2,805,753 9/1957 Palmer 198-33 3,247,981 4/1966 Johnson 198-33 X EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner.

R. I. HICKEY, Aslrz'sflant Examiner. 

1. IN A PACKAGE LABELING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION WITH A LABEL APPLICATOR OF HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR FOR DELIVERING PACKAGES TO A POSITION TO RECEIVE LABELS FROM SAID APPLICATOR, A STANDARD ERECTED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID CONVEYOR, A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ARM PIVOTED TO SWING LATERALLY ON SAID STANDARD, A DEPENDENT STEM ON THE OUTER END OF SAID ARM HAVING A LOWER END; SAID ARM BEING MOVEABLE LATERALLY TO EXTEND OVER SAID CONVEYOR TO POSITION SAID STEM WITH ITS LOWER END PROXIMATE THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID CONVEYOR IN SPACED RELATION THERETO AND IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF PACKAGES BEING ADVANCED BY SAID CONVEYOR TO EFFECT TURNING OF THE PACKAGES A QUARTER REVOLUTION AND BEING MOVEABLE LATERALLY TO EXTEND TO ONE SIDE OF SAID CONVEYOR TO THEREBY POSITION SAID STEM CLEAR OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF PACKAGES ON THE CONVEYOR. 